As my dad, Robert Leist, did the transcription and arrangement of this as his "final exam" from Julliard (for Richard Franko Goldman), I can attest that this is a slower tempo than usual. The section is marked "Gravement" by Bach, so interpretation by Revelli was his prerogative. Dad passed in 2011 at age 89. He was always very proud of this work and I enjoy seeing the continued playing by bands consistantly to this day. Steve Leist
We played this in the All-Northwest High School Band, 120 members strong, Casper, Wyoming 1963. I was embedded with 11 other horns in the right center, with 12 tubas behind. Dr. Revelli did as he always did, terrifying us all in rehearsal, and on the eve of performance, assuring us all of a fine performance. I can see him now,sweating, veins bulging, demanding "Big ! Big!" as we played our hearts out for him and the glory of Bach in these massive chorales. May God be blessed!
I echo the thanks to your father. Well done! I am honored to have been a member of the band for this performance. Dr. Revelli's great strength was in making all of his bands should very, very good. It was a real gift. He knew what he wanted and how to get it. Most of this band went on the famous Russian trip the following year.
We are all thankful to your dad for this labor of love. The French term Gravement of course refers to the character of this piece, not the tempo. Bach often left off tempo markings and left it up to the performer's judgement. Very slow tempos often cause intonation as well as breathing/sustaining problems for wind groups. Revelli's tempo is well in range of tempi that organists choose - they don't have to breathe! Thanks for your input and best wishes.
Of course you are correct. I also remember my dad telling me that part of the assignment was to identify each note as played by the organ and in assigning instrumentation, defend his choice by sound relevance. He also realized the intonation and breathing/sustaining problems, especially when High School Winds attempted this. A slightly quicker tempo helped.I am sure you have heard the Cleveland Symphonic Winds recording,(Freddy Fennell, cond.). Because of the high quality, it was Dad's favorite.
Wow!! How cool is that, that your dad arranged this! It is one of my favorites and I have waited 10 years again to have a high school band that can play this. We will work on it this semester with the opportunity for two performances. I definitely agree with you (and your dad!) that to slow is not correct. My father has been a church organist (studied in Germany with Helmut Rilling in the early to mid 60s) and he never plays it this slow. I also prefer the Cleveland Winds recording. Thanks!
Thanks for your comments Chris. Please come back and update me on the performance. One of my great childhood memories is being at the Band Shell in Central Park watching my dad conduct this with the Goldman Band.
for some reason i think wind bands play it slower than the organ. we play this much slower in my high school band than in the several organ recordings of it i've heard. i wonder why, though.........
As my dad, Robert Leist, did the transcription and arrangement of this as his "final exam" from Julliard (for Richard Franko Goldman), I can attest that this is a slower tempo than usual. The section is marked "Gravement" by Bach, so interpretation by Revelli was his prerogative. Dad passed in 2011 at age 89. He was always very proud of this work and I enjoy seeing the continued playing by bands consistantly to this day. Steve Leist
We played this in the All-Northwest High School Band, 120 members strong, Casper, Wyoming 1963. I was embedded with 11 other horns in the right center, with 12 tubas
behind. Dr. Revelli did as he always did, terrifying us all in rehearsal, and on the eve of performance, assuring us all of a fine performance. I can see him now,sweating, veins bulging,
demanding "Big ! Big!" as we played our hearts out for him and the glory of Bach in these massive chorales. May God be blessed!
I echo the thanks to your father. Well done! I am honored to have been a member of the band for this performance. Dr. Revelli's great strength was in making all of his bands should very, very good. It was a real gift. He knew what he wanted and how to get it. Most of this band went on the famous Russian trip the following year.
We are all thankful to your dad for this labor of love. The French term Gravement of course refers to the character of this piece, not the tempo. Bach often left off tempo markings and left it up to the performer's judgement. Very slow tempos often cause intonation as well as breathing/sustaining problems for wind groups. Revelli's tempo is well in range of tempi that organists choose - they don't have to breathe! Thanks for your input and best wishes.
We are playing it in our band right now! I really love this song! Thank you!
Of course you are correct. I also remember my dad telling me that part of the assignment was to identify each note as played by the organ and in assigning instrumentation, defend his choice by sound relevance. He also realized the intonation and breathing/sustaining problems, especially when High School Winds attempted this. A slightly quicker tempo helped.I am sure you have heard the Cleveland Symphonic Winds recording,(Freddy Fennell, cond.). Because of the high quality, it was Dad's favorite.
A much slower tempo than one hears from other bands....very romantic interpretation.......very emotional crescendo at the end!
Wow!! How cool is that, that your dad arranged this! It is one of my favorites and I have waited 10 years again to have a high school band that can play this. We will work on it this semester with the opportunity for two performances. I definitely agree with you (and your dad!) that to slow is not correct. My father has been a church organist (studied in Germany with Helmut Rilling in the early to mid 60s) and he never plays it this slow. I also prefer the Cleveland Winds recording. Thanks!
Thanks for your comments Chris. Please come back and update me on the performance. One of my great childhood memories is being at the Band Shell in Central Park watching my dad conduct this with the Goldman Band.
The Frederick Fennel recording with the Cleveland Winds doesn't compare to this interpretation by Revelli. Fennel conducted with very little rubato.
for some reason i think wind bands play it slower than the organ. we play this much slower in my high school band than in the several organ recordings of it i've heard. i wonder why, though.........
Most high school bands aren't mature enough to play this at a slow tempo with confidence and good tonal energy
Wow, we did ours alot faster. But this is good too
why do they start in the middle?